Senior Enologist/QA Associate
Firstleaf, United States
Job Description
Have you ever wanted to disrupt a $70bn industry and be a key member of a fully integrated consumer and business facing marketing company which is supported by a supply chain that stretches from the US to Europe and across the Southern Hemisphere? Do you fancy a deep-dive into the intricate details of supply chain and operations while maintaining the nimbleness of a data-driven, digital company Are you keen to help a young, fast-growing company continue to evolve into a world-class, employer of choice? Well, then, come say hi!
The Senior Enologist/QA Manager is the primary person responsible to establish, maintain, and ensure all processes, wines shipped, received, held in tank, and finished post-bottling to meet or exceed quality standards and specifications. Organize, manage, and maintain the wine laboratory; perform all FOSS wine analysis and process subsequent data. The Senior Enologist/QC Manager will manage, execute, and analyze routine chemistry, make actionable recommendations, implement new analytical methods, and/or create and implement a proactive action plan as required to resolve issues and/or advance wine quality. This person is responsible for all lab materials (e.g. equipment, computers, peripherals, inventory, maintenance and repair, etc.) for the purpose of ensuring the accurate and efficient operation of the lab.
This person will support the winemaker, winemaking activities, and production demands in our lab, at our storage and bottling facilities to ensure all wine quality aspects are met or exceeded. This includes, but is not limited to, pre-bottling on-site QC sampling and analysis; perform and report on all routine and periodic wine analysis and data from various facilities; perform tank top inspections and sampling.
As part of the winemaking team, this person will participate in sensory evaluation of samples and finished goods, tasting, blending and bench trials and experiments; conduct, maintain and sort data. Timely communication of out-of-specification wines to winemaking; proactive collaboration in the discovery and mitigating efforts. Maintain a cyclical and robust finished goods QC protocol; sample out, taste and test, analyze and store data, and make recommendations on wine quality measures.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Quality Systems Management (20%)
Implement, manage, and maintain Firstleaf QSM to ensure wine quality due diligence. Be focused on continuous improvement through critical evaluation as well as recognizing opportunities for improvement.
Quality Control (45%)
Responsible through managing as well as identifying QC points in the process, from bulk wine sourcing to Bottling. All activities related to quality control aspects within this process, wine finishing and inventory of bulk and bottled wines. Report non-conformance and drive action plans. Sensory evaluation, the documentation and action (if needed) for the monitoring wine quality deviations and defects in bulk wine and bottled wine.
Laboratory and R amp; D (20%)
Responsible for all chemical analysis on the FOSS winescan and outsourced analysis. Conduct special technical projects as needed to resolve quality assurance or wine quality issues. Regularly reviews lab analyses of Firstleaf wine inventory for anomalies or missing information. Works with Winemaking to schedule follow up analysis or broad-based analysis on wine in tank and or barrel.
Data Management amp; Admin (15%)
Keep track and entry of all data, wine movements into relevant databases. Demonstrate insight and act, if needed, into wine data for forensic analyses, product improvement and product quality control. Manage wine analytical and spectral database of all Firstleaf wine products. Maintain precise lab records and collaborate to ensure accurate compliance reporting across all bonds, state, federal and TTB requirements.
Requirements
Essential Attributes
- Critical thinking and analytic skills - Ability to apply and expand upon principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
- Strong analytical and creative problem-solving and organizational skills demonstrated by the ability to make timely and sound decisions.
- Organized and able to balance day-to-day tasks with special projects to meet deadlines in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.
- Impeccable accuracy and extraordinary attention to detail
- Conscientious and able to focus on completing work to a consistently high standard.
- Excellent organizational and time-management skills; high attention to detail
- Ability to take and give direction in support of and to promote an action based, highly efficient team.
- Adaptable to working in a fast paced, ever-changing environment.
- Ability to work unde